Nats Waive Derek Norris; Should Phillies Claim Him?

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin could use a veteran backup catcher

With nearly all of the Phillies starting jobs secured the focus for the remainder of spring training goes to the bench and bullpen. One of the more intriguing battles is the backup catcher role, which appears to be up in the air.

Going into Clearwater, several reports claimed prospect Andrew Knapp could earn a big league job out of camp as the backup catcher and first baseman. As a switch-hitter with some defensive versatility Knapp is an intriguing commodity in the Phillies farm system.

Battling Knapp for the role of backup backstop are veterans Ryan Hanigan, Bryan Holaday, and Logan Moore. Hanigan appears to have the upper hand early in camp despite having three hits in just nine at-bats.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly questioned whether Hanigan was on the trade block after the 36-year-old caught back-to-back games against a catcher-needy Tigers squad.

Regardless of whether or not the Phillies move Hanigan the backup catcher job could always use more competition.

Enter Derek Norris.

Washington waived the former Oakland All-Star Saturday evening according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman and are anxiously looking to move the 28-year-old.

With a lack of major league depth at catcher could the Phillies take a chance on Norris?

During a breakout 2014 season with the A’s, Norris hit .386 in the first 20 games of the season and supplemented his All-Star bid with a .349 average in the month of June. The following offseason Norris was traded to San Diego, where he hit a career-high 14 home runs in back to back seasons, but hit .186 last year.

In 557 Major League games over the course of five seasons, Norris has 54 home runs with all but two going to left field, as shown below.

Oakland Coliseum and Petco. Park, each of Norris’ former home fields, have each seen 17 home runs hit by the catcher. Dimensions wise, the left field “power alley” in the Coliseum is 14 feet further than Citizen Bank Park’s.

Petco. Park has an even larger disparity, measuring 16 feet further back than The Bank.

Those numbers alone suggest Norris could hit substantially more home runs in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Phillies

Having played the majority of his career in the American League Norris has seldom played in the City of Brotherly Love. In seven games Norris has just one extra-base hit when facing the Phillies in their home park.

Looking even deeper into those seven games Norris played in Philadelphia you can understand why his numbers are disparaging. One game he started last season was Vincent Velasquez’s 16-strikeout, three-hit shutout in which Norris went 0-3.

Twice he faced Aaron Nola, and also had Adam Morgan, Alec Asher, and Jerad Eickhoff to face. Norris’ lone extra-base hit came against Nola last season in the home opener.

So after breaking it down, could it statistically make sense for the Phillies to add Norris? His track record as a power hitter off the right side of the plate is intriguing considering the favorable dimensions at home.

Having a veteran backup catcher would mean both Alfaro and Knapp start their seasons in the minors, but each needs at-bats in Lehigh Valley. This could mean the two alternating days behind the plate and serving as the designated hitter, or Knapp splitting time with Rhys Hoskins at first.

Ultimately, Norris is likely to go unclaimed due to his $4.2 million salary, according to Heyman in the article mentioned above. If Washington grants Norris his full release and the Phillies sign him, the organization would only have to pay 1/6 of Norris’ contract with Washington, the equivalent of approximately $714,000.

Considering Hanigan is due to make $1.25 million if the Phillies add him to the 40-man roster the savings could intrigue the Phils even more.

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Sabermetric-savvy general manager Matt Klentak will certainly explore all of his options, especially if the club believes they can flip Norris for a mid-tier prospect down the line.